The timing couldn’t have been better. The day before we were to ship our middle daughter, Rosie, off on a summer trip, the package arrived. An assortment of Swanson probiotics, something I had put on my “to buy” list, but hadn’t gotten around to yet. It felt like a little unanticipated gift at a time when I was overwhelmed with getting her ready for her journey.
Probiotics for travel are an essential, as far as I’m concerned, particularly when visiting anywhere far afield. Rosie was headed on a community service trip to a remote corner of Thailand. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was in for as far as food, water, and general hygiene, so the probiotics felt like a bit of insurance for this mom, already on edge about her going.
Probiotics and Gut Health
My interest in probiotics and the relationship between gut health and wellness started several years ago. I’ve made conscious shifts in our family’s diet; regular use of probiotics has been part of that. For myself, I’ve found a rumbly tummy can sometimes be remedied with a probiotic, especially when that GI upset is from changes associated with travel — whether that’s to New York to New Guinea (not that I’ve been to New Guinea).
Research suggests that taking probiotics may help healthy people stay healthy. It can support the immune system, which can be taxed by the stressors associated with travel.
What to Look For
With the sea of products on the market, it can be tricky to know what to buy. I look for probiotics with several different bacterial strains to cover all your bases, which was the case with the one I shipped off with Rosie. Indeed, their Ultra Probiotic for Women has seven different bacterial strains. And their Probiotic for Kids has four, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, both thought to support gut bacterial makeup so the body is better able to defend against harmful bacteria you come in contact with.
If you’re having a tricky time settling on a probiotic, check out this How to Pick a Probiotic Quiz.
As for Rosie, she returned home yesterday, healthy gut and healthy spirit, fully intact.
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